Are Paintball Markers consider lethal weapons?

[dinger]

[Recon by Fire]

Okay let's sum things up here:

We have determined that sometimes paintball markers are considered firearms and that sometimes they may be considered lethal weapons. We have also determined that this thread is a dangerous weapon.

Yep, that's about all the damage we can do here.....

[Lohman446]

I've had this conversation on these boards, I've had this conversation with my lawyer.

In the state of Michigan anything that uses compressed air (among other things) to propel a projectile (other than a .177 caliper BB) is technically a firearm under the statute (anyone who wants to look into this feel free to search the subject - I did a longer post on it). That being said, this law has NEVER been tested in Michigan in regards to paintball markers or enforced. hmmm... and if tested we would have all sorts of havoc once we hit the stiffer MI handgun laws, but anyways... we have had this debate before, it is the law, it is not enforced, and it is best to let sleeping dogs be.


Most state laws, and the B.A.T.F. do not consider paintball markers firearms - however things such as silencers cause conflict with the B.A.T.F as they are readily modified to firearm status...

Long and short of it - DON'T ARGUE WITH PROBATION OFFICERS YOU WILL LOOSE. GET A SAFE, MAKE PO HAPPY AND DON'T PUSH THE POINT. These people have jobs to do, make them hard and they will make their charges lives hard.

[vaypourus]

Originally posted by Army


Local legislation can, indeed, call them anything they want to, but that will not hold up in court because of no mandated federal control.

Does your county park allow baseball bats and kiddie pools? Those have killed more "children" than all civilian firearms statistics combined.

I just double checked in the rules yesterday; it says "Firearms, which may include but not limited to any device that releases a projectile at a speed high enough to cause injury or death"

It then had a list of things like crossbows, pellet guns, slingshots, paintball markers, homemade contraptions....etc. Being that it is under County jurisdiction, and its stated right in the rules, I think it would hold up in county court. My boss told me that there were arrest in the past from people using potato cannons in the park.

And as far as the kiddy pools and baseball bats, there is a section on each of those as well (all swimming is banned in the park. We have a pond, but I suppose that a kiddy pool could be considered swimming). Baseball bats are also allowed (we have several baseball diamonds) as long as they comply with the park rules and are not used maliciously.